It's not easy being white

Being born white shouldn't be a crime, but in the animal world, albinism can make for a tough life. Not only can you be picked on for the colour of your feathers, but being different to others of your species could make it hard to camouflage yourself in your natural environment and make you more vulnerable to predators. In the eight years Melanie Barsony has worked as the bird co-ordinator for WIRES Northern Rivers, she has only seen two albino birds come into care; one was an albino tawny frogmouth and the most recent was a young albino crested pigeon, found in a backyard in Ballina.

"Albino birds are very rare," Melanie said, "If they have pink eyes, it means their eyesight is very bad they often don't survive in the wild. This crested pigeon's eyes are okay and it could have a good chance of surviving if it is accepted by the other birds of its kind."

At the moment the fledgling pigeon is being crop fed by WIRES carers and will hopefully be released into the wild in the near future. WIRES is always looking for more carers and rescuers so if you would like to get involved in helping local wildlife survive, visit the website wiresnr.org/. If you find an injured native animal, phone WIRES on 6628 1898.